


Convergence

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-03
Updated: 2002-02-03
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh tries to date Joey, but then he realizes that he is in love with someone else.





	1. Convergence

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

# Convergence 1

## by SarahK

"Josh!"  
Josh Lyman turned in response to his typical morning greeting from his assistant, Donna Moss, as he entered the corridor leading to his  
office.

"Good morning, Donna," he said cheerily as he approached the blonde woman. He noticed she looked rather irritated, but he was in a good mood for once, and wasn't about to let her spoil it.

"Where the hell have you been?" snapped Donna.

"At home, why?" replied Josh. "Josh, you are so incredibly late! You missed the staff meeting, and Leo's been hounding me all morning looking for you. Do I even need to tell you how much your watch sucks?"

"Whoa! There was a staff meeting this morning?"

"Yes there was, Josh, and I told you that yesterday before you left, and I tried to call you, but you didn't answer your phone, and your cell was turned off, and you weren't answering any of my pages. I was about to send the CIA out after you, except that I know how incredibly irresponsible you can be and that you'd eventually turn up with some incredibly lame excuse, so I repeat: Where the hell have you been?"

Without realizing it, the pair had walked all the way down the hallway and were now standing in front of Josh's office. Josh ushered Donna inside and closed the door, to avoid the stares of their coworkers who had witnessed Donna's tirade.

"I was busy," said Josh, in a feeble attempt to excuse himself.

"That's your excuse?" retorted Donna. "You know, if I'm going to have to cover for you, you could at least have the decency to tell me what is so important that it warrants you missing a staff meeting, so that I can at least make up something plausible when the White House Chief of Staff calls me and I end up looking like an idiot for not knowing where you are!"

"I didn't know there was a staff meeting. I slept in." Josh knew there was no point in arguing. Donna had been edgy lately, but he had never seen her this angry. At the moment, it seemed to slip his mind that she was his assistant and he was her boss, rather than the other way around.

"You slept in?"

"Yes."

"Well, gee, Josh, that's a much better excuse than `I was busy'," replied Donna, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, since when are you sarcastic?"

"Since when do you sleep in?"

Josh was about to respond, but was cut off by a knock at the door. Joey Lucas walked into the office, followed closely by her interpreter, Kenny. She signed something.

"Am I interrupting something?" translated Kenny.

"No, just the usual," replied Josh. Donna glared at him.

"I just wanted to tell you that I left my sweater on your couch, just in case you found it."

"You did?" Josh asked Kenny.

"No, she did," replied Kenny, indicating Joey.

"Right. I gotta get used to that whole `not distinguishing between you two' thing. I'll let you know if I find it."

Joey grinned as she saw Josh's confusion.

"Anything else?" asked Josh.

"Yeah, you missed a staff meeting."

"So I'm told," replied Josh. He glanced quickly at Donna, trying to read the expression on her face. "See you later."

"Bye," said Joey, in her own voice, as she turned to leave.

"You could have told me," said Donna softly. Josh wasn't sure, but he thought she almost looked hurt.

"I could have," Josh agreed.

"I'm not going to cover for you if you're going to lie to me. All you had to say was `Donna, I'm sorry, I'm late because I spent the night with Joey'."

"Hold on," interrupted Josh. "We did not spend the night together. We just had dinner together."

"Whatever," replied Donna. "I have work to do."

"Since when do you actually do work?" asked Josh. Donna disappeared out the door without responding. 

  

  


	2. Convergence 2

Couple of notes: For one, I forgot the disclaimer, so I should note that The West Wing and all its characters, etc. are property of Sorkin and his cronies, of which I am not one. So don't sue me, cause I'm not worth that much. Also, I took some creative license given that I've never actually seen the White House bathrooms, but in my version, this one has a little lounge-y area with a couch. So there. Enjoy!

# Convergence 2

## By SarahK

Donna sat in the bathroom stall, frantically wiping away the tears that refused to stop flowing. *You're being ridiculous,* she told herself. *You knew they were going to get together, hell, you encouraged it. You should be happy for him.* She sighed. *But I'm not.*

Donna heard the door open, and someone else entered the bathroom. She wiped away the last traces of her tears, attempting to regain her composure, before stepping out of the stall. C.J. Cregg was at the sink. Donna kept her gaze downwards, trying to hide her face as she turned on the faucet.

"Hey Donna," said C.J..

"Hi C.J.," replied Donna without looking up. C.J. glanced over at her, and was alarmed by her appearance.

"Donna? Everything all right?"

Donna sighed, and raised her head. C.J. could instantly tell that she had been crying. She led the younger woman to a couch, and they sat down.

"Want to talk about it?" C.J. asked. Donna shook her head. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it has something to do with Josh."

Donna was surprised by her friend's insight. "How can you tell?"

"Because I've seen the way you've been acting around him lately. You've been sort of distant."

"I know I have. I've been so cold…I actually blew up at him this morning."

"Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"You have feelings for him, don't you?"

Donna couldn't stop the tears from springing to her eyes again. "I don't know," she started. "I mean…I used to, maybe, a long time ago…But now…we work together. I mean, he's my boss, and my friend, and maybe there was something back then, but…Anyway, he's seeing Joey now…I practically had to force the two of them together…I should be happy for them…"

"Are you?" asked C.J. quietly. There was a long silence.

"I love him," Donna finally responded. The tears that had been threatening to fall were now streaming down her face. C.J. pulled her into an embrace, and Donna sobbed against the older woman's shoulder.

"This is so unprofessional. I'm sorry," came Donna's muffled voice.

"Hey, it is not. We all have our bad days here. That's what offices and bathrooms are for. It's okay."

Donna's tears subsided, and she stood again. She walked over to the sink, and dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex. She let out another deep sigh.

"What do I do?" she asked, more to herself than to C.J..

"Well," replied C.J.. You've admitted it to yourself…now tell him."

"I don't know if I can."

"I'm not saying you have to march into his office right now and pour your heart out, but when you're ready…Just trust me. If you don't do anything about this, you'll regret it. I've made that mistake more than a few times." C.J. got up to leave. "I've got a briefing, so I'll see you later?"

"Thanks, C.J." said Donna, turning to her friend.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah."

C.J. smiled, and walked out the door, leaving Donna staring at her reflection in the mirror. She reapplied her mascara, and brushed a few stray strands of hair back up into her ponytail. She gave her reflection one last glance before going back out into the hall, where she almost collided with Josh.

"Donna," said Josh cautiously. "I was just looking for you."

"What do you need?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just heading out to lunch, in case you're wondering where I am."

"Well, I'll spare you the lecture about coming to work late and taking an early lunch."

"Thank you."

"When are you coming back?"

"An hour or so."

"Is that by your watch, or everyone else's?"

"My watch does not suck. I had it fixed."

"Right." Donna paused a moment, noticing Joey heading towards them from the other end of the hall. "So, you're having lunch with Joey?"

"Yeah," replied Josh hesitantly.

"Okay. See you later." Donna managed a weak smile as she turned and headed back to her desk. 

  

****


	3. Convergence 3

# Convergence 3

## By SarahK 

Donna ducked around a corner as she spotted Josh and Joey returning from  
lunch. As much as she wanted to maintain a professional appearance, she  
knew the sight of them together was more than she could handle right now.  
It had been a rough morning. She had finally admitted to herself how she  
truly felt about Josh, and now had to decide whether or not to do anything  
about it. At the moment, she was leaning toward not. *He’s happy with  
Joey,* she thought. *I’m not going to come between them. I would never do  
that to him. I just can’t let it get to me like this.* She tried to  
rationalize her feelings as much as she could, but the truth was, she just  
could not bear to face him right now.

Down the hall, Josh and Joey had met up with Kenny and were now having coffee in Josh’s office. They had things to discuss, especially the revelations that had stemmed from their lunch together. Kenny looked uncomfortable, which Josh thought was understandable given the nature of the conversation. After all, he had probably had to do this for Joey many times before.

"You know what’s wrong with us?" Josh asked. "We’re so damn alike."

"That could be a good thing," replied Kenny for Joey.

"Yeah, but it isn’t, is it?"

"Not really."

"This isn’t going to work."

"I agree."

"So where does that leave us?"

"Friends?" said Joey in her own voice.

"It sounds good to me," agreed Josh.

Kenny breathed a sigh of relief, causing Josh to turn and look at him.

"What?" asked Josh.

"Oh, nothing," replied Kenny. "That was actually easier than the last time. With Al Kiefer she started throwing things."

Joey signed something in response to what Kenny had said.

"What’d she say?" asked Josh.

"I did not." Kenny lowered his voice and continued. "She did." Joey glared at him in mock anger, then started signing again.

"Maybe this was doomed not to work out." Kenny looked somewhat exasperated at having to continue the conversation.

"What do you mean?" asked Josh, confused.

"Well, I think we both know there’s someone else…"

Josh frowned, trying to decide what she meant, then suddenly realized who she was talking about.

"I don’t…there’s nothing…" he trailed off, as he was beginning to consider whether she might be right.

"Isn’t there?" 

  

****


	4. Convergence 4

# Convergence 4

## by SarahK 

Josh put on his coat and picked up his briefcase, preparing to leave the  
office. It had been a long day, one that had left him thinking about many  
things in his life, particularly about his relationship with his assistant.  
He had realized today how much Donna really meant to him, and that they  
could not go on the way they were lately, barely speaking to each other  
except when necessary. He made a mental note to sit down and talk to her as  
soon as he got a chance.

As Josh closed his door, he realized that there was still someone sitting in the bullpen. Noticing the long blond hair, he realized immediately who it was. He debated his next move, finally entering the bullpen and walking over to Donna, who was seated at her computer.

"Hey," he said softly. Donna just about jumped out of her chair.

"Josh, don’t do that to me!" she exclaimed, startled.

"Sorry…What are you doing here so late?"

"I don’t know…finishing off some stuff…nothing better to do, I guess." She focused her attention back on her computer screen, silently willing him to go away so she wouldn’t have to deal with the emotional turmoil he put her in just by being near her.

"Want to get a late dinner?" Josh ventured, holding his breath waiting for her response.

"Um…" Donna considered this for a moment, and against her better judgement, she really did want to. "Okay," she finally responded.

"Great," Josh said somewhat hesitantly. "I’ll get your coat." 

* * *

Donna sipped her drink and stared off into space as they waited for the food to come. It had been an awkward evening, and showed no signs of getting better any time soon. They had decided to go home first, and then Josh had picked her up after they had both had time to change out of their work clothes and into something more casual. They had spoken barely a word since getting in the car, and were now seated in silence, neither one knowing what to say. *This was a bad idea,* thought Donna. It was a nice restaurant though. Soft music was playing, and there were several couples on the dance floor. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, so it was relatively quiet near their small booth. They could have talked easily if either of them felt like it.

Josh sighed at the lack of conversation. He had asked Donna to dinner in hopes of talking to her outside the office, but so far, the situation was beyond uncomfortable, with neither of them saying a word. Josh finally decided it was time to speak.

"So, what’s up?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Donna replied, somewhat confused.

"I mean what’s up with you? We barely talk anymore."

"You’re barely around anymore."

"I’m here now. What’s on your mind?"

Donna looked at him like he was from another planet. "What makes you think something’s on my mind?"

"Well, you’ve been kind of distant lately. It seems like something’s been bothering you."

"Oh, okay, so now you can read my thoughts?"

"I’m not saying that, I’m saying you can tell me if something’s wrong."

"Nothing’s wrong."

"Obviously something is, or you wouldn’t be acting the way you’ve been."

"I’m not acting any differently. You’re the one who slept through a staff 

meeting. How’s that for acting differently?"

"I thought we were past that. I already apologized for it."

"You did not!"

"Yes I did!"

"No, Josh, you never did!"

"Well, I’m sorry then," Josh said, more quietly. Donna couldn’t let it go. "It was totally irresponsible, and totally unlike you! Ever since-" She cut herself off, realizing what she had been about to say. 

"Ever since what?" Josh challenged. 

They were interrupted by the waiter arriving with their food. Neither touched their plates. They just sat there staring at each other in silence. Josh finally spoke. 

"This is about Joey, isn’t it?" 

Donna didn’t respond. 

  


	5. Convergence 5

# Convergence 5

## by SarahK

Josh and Donna were still sitting in silence at their booth. They hadn’t said a word to each other while eating dinner, and now they were both sipping coffee and still not speaking. As he had done so many times that night, Josh decided to take the plunge and do something. After all, if he wanted her back, he was going to have to make it happen. 

He stood and held out his hand. The song that had started playing was just too appropriate to their situation to resist, and he knew if he got her out on the dance floor he’d actually be able to talk to her. 

Donna sat, hesitantly staring at Josh’s outstretched hand. "Josh, I- I don’t feel like dancing…" she argued. 

"Come on," he replied, taking her hand. Donna sighed and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor. They stopped, and Josh slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer than she expected. She placed her head next to his, unable to look at his face as they began to slowly sway to the music. She could feel his soft breath against her ear. 

<I’ve sure enjoyed the rain 

But I’m looking forward to the sun 

You have to feel the pain 

When you lose the love you gave someone>

"Nothing happened with Joey," Josh said quietly. 

Donna already had her defenses up. "It wouldn’t matter if something did. You’re your own person. You’re free to do what you want." 

<Without you I’m not okay 

And without you I’ve lost my way 

My heart’s stuck in second place…>

"You know what I want?" Josh asked. Donna wasn’t sure how to respond, but didn’t have to, as Josh answered his own question. "I want you back." 

"I haven’t gone anywhere," she replied shakily. Tears were already forming in her eyes from the emotions she was feeling as he held her in his arms. She still couldn’t bring herself to look at him. 

"Not physically, Donna, but you’ve changed…We’ve changed, I should say. I miss those long conversations we used to have about trivial things…I miss you greeting me every morning with some inane little fact about Indonesia or what life was like 100 years ago…You’re so much more than just my assistant, Donna. More than even just my friend. I want that back. I miss you." 

Donna was biting back tears, but it wasn’t working. She was shaking as Josh pulled her closer and began to softly stroke her back as she cried against his shoulder. 

"It’s okay…I didn’t mean to upset you," he said softly. 

"Josh, I…Can we just not talk right now?" said Donna, finally looking in his eyes. He nodded, taking her face in his hands and brushing away her last few tears with his thumbs. He kissed her gently on the cheek. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, savouring the warmth of the moment.

__

> _Somebody tell my head to try to tell my heart_  
>  That I’m better off without you  
> Cause baby I can’t live…  
> Without you I’m not okay  
> And without you I’ve lost my way  
> My heart’s stuck in second place  
> Without you  
> Without you

The song ended, but Josh and Donna continued to hold each other for a moment. 

"Want me to take you home?" Josh asked. 

Donna nodded. Josh kept one arm around her waist as they went to pay the bill. 

* * *

After another silent ride, they arrived at Donna’s apartment. 

"I’ll walk you up," said Josh finally. 

He slid his arm back around her waist. Donna enjoyed the now familiar gesture. They remained quiet again during the elevator ride up, and during the walk down the hallway to Donna’s apartment. Donna found her keys and opened the door. She stood in the doorway, and Josh faced her. 

"Donna…I’m sorry." 

"For what?" 

"I know I’ve hurt you." 

"No, Josh, you really haven’t-" 

"Donna, I know it hurt for you to see me with Joey." 

"Josh, I-" 

"And I know why. It’s something I realized myself today. I think we both feel the same way…" 

Donna paused. "You’re right. We do. I just…I somehow can’t bring myself to say it first-" 

Josh cut her off. "I love you." 

Fresh tears welled up in Donna’s eyes. "Well, that didn’t look so hard…I love you too." 

Without another word, Josh leaned in and kissed her softly. He pulled away to look at her for a moment, brushing her hair behind her ear as he cupped her chin in his hands. He moved in again, kissing her more passionately as she kissed him back. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into the apartment, closing the door behind them. 

* * *

Donna awoke the next morning with a smile on her face as she snuggled closer to the still-sleeping form next to her. Josh opened his eyes and kissed her softly, tracing slow circles on her arm that was laid over his chest. He looked at the clock on her nightstand. 

"We’re late," he said. "Do you care?" 

"No." 

"Then things are definitely back to normal." 

Donna smiled and closed her eyes. 

The End. 


End file.
